“Walking is good exercise, but you should pick up the pace to over 100 steps per minute,” according to Danielle Bouchard, assistant professor at the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management at the University of Manitoba.
In a number of experiments with older adults, Danielle has found that walking is the most popular exercise, but only 7% walk fast enough to boost their heart rates and get the full benefit of vigorous exercise.
The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines call for 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per week for boomers. She recommends that people use a heart rate monitor to walk at 55%-70% of their maximum heart rate, or use a simple pedometer to learn to walk over 100 paces a minute. “If you are taking the time to walk, might as well optimize that outing by hitting the target heart rate.”